Had the chance to take a look around the fire station on Clifford Street in York. It’s been empty for a while and is awaiting redevelopment into (yes you guessed) apartments. Much of this former chapel will be demolished completely with only a facade remaining.

The access to the firefighter’s pole.

The drop.

A premium is sure to be paid for front apartments overlooking Clifford’s Tower.

What was once the mess hall. There is virtually nothing left in the building now.

The main forecourt area where the engines lived.

A local arts initiative ‘Blank Canvas’ will be taking the place over for a few weeks before demolition begins providing a pop up exhibition space and area for arts workshops.

I particularly enjoyed the sense of calm and stillness here ~ a place witness to such frenetic activity and on constant alert now utterly at rest.

Drax in North Yorkshire contributes nearly a tenth of the UK’s energy needs by the firing of coal and biomass and is the country’s largest power station.

I was fortunate enough to be given a special tour of the vast site (driven about in a very nifty electric car). The journey is a fascinating step by step guide in how it is possible to charge our smartphones, watch t.v and make a cup of coffee with barely a thought as to where the electricity comes from.

The rapid reduction in dependency on coal and the rise of biomass is shrinking the area required to house stocks of coal. Much of the current story of the station is the rise in biomass and the decline of coal.

The 4 huge domes where the biomass material is kept (by-product of sustainably managed North American timber burns best apparently) were even more impressive when I learnt that the containers, each able to accommodate the Albert Hall only take around an hour to inflate.

The site has its own branch line to receive deliveries of raw materials and sources its water from the neighbouring River Ouse ~ my guide enthusiastically pointed out that the water is returned to its origin cleaner than when it arrives.

There are statistics and facts to boggle the mind (each of the 12 cooling towers is large enough to house St Paul’s Cathedral, 99% of ash is removed from the burning of coal and the resulting gypsum is sold to the construction industry, each generator provides enough electricity to power a million homes…) but also to make you think about the scale, complexity and symbiosis involved in an essentially simple step process.

Ear protectors are required for the turbine hall (do I need to say that it’s very big ?) and in a particularly sultry July day the atmosphere was stifling. It’s the business end of the place where all the energy produced from the burning of the raw materials gets put to use and turns the massive turbines to create the precious electricity. A portion of said electricity is simply fed back into the site as it needs rather a lot to function…the rest is fed to the National Grid and powers Leeds and Sheffield and Manchester and…well you get the point.

Getting touching distance from one of the 12 cooling towers that dominate the distant skyline of North Yorkshire was a treat. I’d always imagined these as inanimate giants simply conduits for steam but seeing them up close you realise that they are working creatures as torrents of water cascade around the bases.

Drax has had education visits for a while now but has recently opened this opportunity up for all of us in the shape of weekend tours and I thoroughly recommend you give it a go. The subject of where our energy comes from is as big and complex as the production processes themselves but one thing that is without question is that our need for power is showing no signs of diminishing and a greater understanding of how we acquire our energy should be of interest to all of us.

A day in the Mancunian drizzle capturing some of the work going on for ‘Cities Of Hope’ a week long festival of street art organised by Vestige ~ a charity concerned with using the arts to raise awareness of social justice issues.

Some world renowned names took part ~ including Faith 47 from South Africa whose stunning grand scale piece adorns Great Ancoats Street. All work is concentrated in the city’s Northern Quarter and makes for a splendid explore with surprises around every corner.

Have been looking to shoot a fashion test in an abandoned location for a while and was finally able to start putting everything together with the help of York Conservation Trust who allowed me to use the former saddle makers of Robson & Cooper.

These shoots are such a team effort and once the logistics are sorted it’s down to the talents of everyone listed below

Was in Reykjavik over the New Year and aside from enjoying the city’s celebrations (they go to town for New Year and the Christmas lights are still glorious) I sought out some of the fabulous street art.

‘Ulfur’ by ELLE

by DFace

From the ‘No Exit’ series by Guido Van Helten

From the ‘No Exit’ series by Guido Van Helten

From the ‘No Exit’ series by Guido Van Helten

Unknown

by Deih

Unknown

Quickly decided that I’d have to work with the conditions I had and was happy to be shooting in the dark, relying on the street lighting and reflections from the snow. Only having a few hours of daylight wasn’t going to present a barrier only a challenge.

The light has an ethereal glowing quality during it’s brief appearance and I would have loved to been able to shoot some portraits.

Such a fascinating and enchanting place to visit I’m already plotting my return…

Like this:

A mammoth trek out to this abandoned farmhouse ~ but worth it. Apparently abandoned in the late 70’s with so much left behind.

It’s remoteness has meant that there is no signs of the usual destructive activities of vandals and thieves~ only some creative interpretation of interior design by previous UE visitors…

There were so many personal effects; letters, school text books, toiletries and much paraphernalia from World War II. The overwhelming sense was one of sadness at the pieces of these forgotten lives so utterly forsaken.

The place has become something of a pilgrimage for explorers recently and how much longer it can remain so relatively untouched is uncertain. If only a few decide to take a souvenir then the place will be stripped soon enough. There was no sign of the profusion of pocket watches that I had seen in an earlier set of pictures.